New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-01-22
PRICE THREE CENTS
BOTH THE BURGLARS DEAD.
THE TRIPLE CRIME AT WHITE PLAINS

HOW THE DESPERATE RUrFIANs KILLED YOUNG
MEAD-THE CHASE AFTER THEM.
The shocking musder Of young William E. Mead,
at White Plains, on Thursday night and the sui
eide soon sfterward Of the two unknown burglars
who killed him, formed the single topic of conver.
sation yesterday all over Westchester County Peo.
pie docked In from all qarters to the county ssaA
agape with horror and curiosity. and men. women
and children alike hung all the afternoon about
the Bronx River bridge, where the two murderers
shot themselves in desperation. and the little un-
dertakers shop IN Railroad-ave. where their dead
bodies were afterward laid.
There was no moro light yesterday than on
Thursday on the identity of the burglars, nor on
their motives for 80 daring and foolhardy an st-
tempt on life and property. It was learned
definitely. however. that they boarded the evening
express tram from Chatham at 1owner's. station
beyond Brewster's junction, and arrived in White
Plains about = o'clock on Thursday night A
=" drummer" named Harris. for Beels g. Sons whip
factory in Winchester, got the same train at
Mount Kisco and noticed the two murderers then
in company with another shabbily dressed man. The
three were comparing notes their cash in hand.
One had sixty cents besides ticket to New.York.
The other two had tickets as far as White Plains
and not enough money between them to ride any
further The three men were plainly not from
the country, nor did they show tho
marks of exposure which como from
trampIng. The theory of the White Plans
pelice is that they DISCHARGED convicts Three
men, Andrew Rose. J. +. Kennedy and August
Palmer, were set free from Sing Sing on Wednes-
day, and at first tins fact thought convincing
cew The description of the convicts, as given last
night by Principal Keeper Conuaughton, does not
tally. however. with that of the two dead men at
,,taD Da,,.a A L.k k.ll -
the case of the two burglars and their victim ct
o'clock tonight in the Westchester County Court
House. Until then, prObably-so full of contradic-
tiOns and false reports and ina ginlngs is the mind
0 fWhite Plains-nO consistent official statement Of
what actually did happen on Thursday night can
be obtained.
AS far as can be made out now, the facts o(
the murder and subsequent suicide are as follows:
The two burglars after getting off the 8 o'clock
train. loitered about the station for half hour or
more. Then just before o'clock they took turn
through the streets near BY. being noticed by sew
eral men aud women. Tney wore low felt hats
pulled down tightly over their brows and overcoats
buttoned up to their chins. Their faces smooth
and markedly pale aud salow. and their looks were
ugly and desperate. Neither was apparently over
twenty .one or twenty-five years old. As it turned
out afterward both were armed like heroes in
a yellow backed novel. The older aud larger man
had 44-calibre Eng ish bulldog revolver and .
smaller 22-calibre one. The younger man
"a mere boy really = carried a 32-cait
wore huge sheath knives attached by wires to theiI
suspenders aud their oyercoat pockets were full or
large and small sized cartridges
About half past o'clock the younger Of the two
entered a shoemaker's shop. owned BY A. j. Mead.
just opposite the bake shop of George A. Mead:
whose son was shot fifteen minutes later. lie asked
| Mrs. Mead. who was lying on a lounge near the
door, If she could help HIM along with few PEN
uIes She looked him over carefully and refused.
| whereupon he turned quietly again and shut the
| door. At S:45 o'clock both men pushed their way
into the bake-shop George Mead, the youngest Of
Mr.. Mead's sons boy Of twelve, was % lnst , aoons
more desperate looking fellow pointed his big Su-
dog pistol at the child and ordered him TO hold up
his hands. The boy was too frightened TO hear aad
| squirmed through the back door of the shop to
sort of sitting where his brother William wss
front. aud rnshing through the connecting door.
William grappled with the bigger of the intrndersI
while the smaller one, who had started for the TIL,
came up behind and Joined in the tqssle The older
burglar had his pistol still out and watching his
| chance shot young Mead through the back under
one of the ribs. the bullet passing straight through
| the heart
The wounded man had only strength enough 10
get out on the stoop and cry Murder" once when
down Railroad ave- toward tho station. hoping te
escape to Yonkers The report of the pistol and
the cry Of AMurier" had startled the neiRhbors.
some Uf the shops near bv being still open.
| Mr. Roesch, photographer, who has loom
above the bak shop. was on the street III an In
had been M favored with surprise party that even
ing and the dancing was just beginning when the
startled photographer Dursr In with the newso q
the shooting. Mr. See got his revolver and hurried
over to tho sceno OF the murder, sleigh vas
standing outside the drugstore vi Dr. Newell,
house or NO from the bake-shop in Railroad-sva
Chief SEQ appropriated It at once and Dr. Newell
offered to drive along Another volunteer was
obtaiuet Frank Coe, clerk In another store. and
the three started In the sleigh after the fuHtiyea
| ha mi rie lnt harlem
and tho Bronx River and bad refched the top of
ChatteIton Hill The Yonkers road turns on e
the foot OF the hill and they easily missed 1t in the
darkness Finding the hillside little WON they
felt perple1cd, and knocking at the door Of
Il fDSSe tSoy we're "s S On '"i''' the right road.
The owner, Mr.. Buckout. directed them back again
to the Bronx Bridge, and they had scarcely turned
when the three men in the sleigh drove b. and saw
them. Chief See and his assistants got out little
further on and began following the fugitiyes down
the hull. See had 32-ca!lbre revolver The Others
| were without any arms whatever
| The CHIEF of Police soon raised n sort Of hne
and cry to frghten the murderers, pretending 70
twice he yelled to an imaginary police force TO
| come on and demanded surrender from the two
rutfans. Two or three shots were hred III return:
| There are gaslamps at intervals down the slope OF
under one of these presently, reloadlng
| their revolyers and seeming TO hold consnitation
By the time they had crossed the Bronx Bridge
crowd began gathering up near the rafoid staaaeo
thirty or forty rods off Chief See walked out INTO
| the middle of the road now md called on theus
ag ain to give themselves uD. Bo h fired again and
| then the Chief of Police fired twice. man na ned
McAlister, joining the party stli on the slope ot
the MILL a 50 took Sees pistol and fired There Is
low fence running along the north side OF the stress
from tho foot OF the Mill to rhe railroad. and tho
| narrow sidewalk is lined with tail, thick trees
The two murderers could be secn in the shadow bug:
giug the low railing, apparently at their wltsend and
| Te,dv Tor any act of desperation. The pursuerB
were about to ire once more. when two shots were
heard together from under tho trees and then an in
stant later another. The two. men fell across tho
| ice-crust of the sidewalk with groans The police
| chief rushed to the spot and found two smoking
pistols and a pool of blood Tue heavier OF the
ruiians d shot himself twice. ballet entering
his rgnt temple and lodging under his left eye. tho
other going straight from the middle Of his tore. tore.
head INTO his brain. his cOmpan ion had fired from
the iaft remoie upward, the ball lodging on tho
other side OF his head: Tne faces Of both were